Collage and The Terrible, No Good Art Block

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Hello again! I’m back for Glue it Tuesday with a collage that’s been coming together on my desk for the past couple of weeks. I took the cover of one of our weekly newspapers and have been cutting all of the solid bits out of it and sticking a few pieces down here and there. I don’t often collage with pictures or patterns created by someone else (it’s hard to make it feel like mine), so I get really excited when I find a cover or illustration page that has a lot of big blocks of color I can use.

I have been feeling very uninspired lately, and have had a hard time getting myself to work in my sketchbooks, write blog entries or work on projects for my printmaking class. It’s been difficult to push through it and have faith that I will have new ideas again. I’m trying to find the right balance of being gentle with myself, but also to not be so lax that I slip into a bad habit of not working on projects because I’m “waiting for inspiration”. Projects like this sketchbook collage page are perfect because they don’t require too much thinking, and it’s more about the physical act of cutting and gluing than it is about the end product.

Here is a small collection of links that have provided me with some inspiration to keep going over the past week. If you’re looking for some more reading, check out Tammy’s fantastic Link Love mission. I’m hoping that I’ll be back soon with some notes on how I broke through my creative block!

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Link Love

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Happy Monday! Last week was a quiet one, and my sketchbooks were left untouched. I’m on a quest to make sure my sketchbooks feel the love again this week. I’m also joining in Tammy’s mission to share the link love at Daisy Yellow. I’ve found loads of inspiration to start off the week, and now it’s time to turn off the computer and get to it.

  • I just discovered Mae Chevrette’s blog today, and was particularly inspired by this sketchbook page. The combination of collage and lettering is lovely.
  • I’m a little bummed out that this blog appears to have been abandoned. I am a big fan of to-do lists, and these painted lists are probably the most charming I’ve ever seen. Enjoy the archives!
  • Another fun blog by Alison Worman. I’m so inspired by how she uses a wide variety of media. Fiber arts, book arts, printmaking, painting, drawing, collage. I love artists who are so versatile.
  • I love this crayon transfer technique tutorial by Marcia Beckett. I used to do this as a child, and totally forgot about it. I’m excited to try this technique again!
  • I’m really intrigued Heather Day’s loose painting style. I love her little tiny drawings and paintings. Her blog has inspired me to try to loosen it up a little this week.

I hope you all had a great weekend, and are full of ideas for the new week. I would love to hear what you’re working on in the comments!

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Glue it Tuesday: Printmaking Color Tests

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Good morning! I’m joining in Glue it Tuesday this week with some color tests for my printmaking class. I created a few linoleum blocks with simple textures, and my plan is to tear them all up and sew them back together for the final project. I brought the blocks home with me, and worked on some color tests tonight. I’m not thrilled with this color combination yet, but I do like seeing the simple textures next to each other in different colors. I was trying out burnishing with my hands (placing paper over the linoleum and rubbing), and really liked how personal it made the process feel, as opposed to using the press. I can see the areas where I pressed very hard, and those I backed off of a bit.

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These are the prints I made on the press on Saturday. This chartreuse color is one of my favorites, and I am always happy when I work with it. I can’t wait to get started cutting up and assembling these prints back together.

Sometimes it’s hard to feel okay writing about color and sketchbooks after a day like yesterday. I initially felt a tinge of guilt even working on my prints last night. I think the only thing I can figure out to do is to try to be more grateful, continue to do the things that make me come alive, and try to do more good in the world. I’m grateful for this space, for being able to share the things that make me happy, and for the encouragement from you, my lovely readers.

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Link Love // Shadows and Patterns #1

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I’m hoping that soon Portland will be getting enough sun for me to make a small series of photographs of shadows and patterns. These are from a couple of weekends ago when the weather was warm, and I was taking some walks through the neighborhood. The sky here is flat gray a lot of the fall and winter, so the shadows were a pleasant shock. I seemed to find an interesting shadow or pattern everywhere I turned.

This weekend I have a printmaking class all day Saturday, and the weather forecast tells me we’re in for another gray weekend, so I’ll be getting caught up on my Project Life scrapbook pages, and some other artsy projects on Sunday.

I’m participating in Tammy’s wonderful Link Love mission today, and leaving you with some links to check out over the weekend. Stop by Daisy Yellow to say hello, or join in spreading the link love.

  • Emily Balsley’s Sketchbook Project: Emily’s sketchbook project is a wonderful little narrative about a sandwich making factory. Her illustrations are so fun. See also part 2.
  • Create Every Day by Kari Maxwell: This blog is one of my new reads. Kari always has wonderful insights on the creative process, daily art practices and more.
  • Interview with Oliver Jeffers on The Great Discontent: TGD is one of my favorite sites to read interviews. The interviews are very in depth and feature a wide variety of makers, and (bonus!) are presented beautifully. Oliver Jeffers is a relatively new discovery for me, but I’ve seen his work pop up on a couple of blogs lately, so I was very excited to see an interview with him. This video about his work is also a very charming visual treat.
  • Flora Bowley’s 30-Day Blog Love Affair: I love Flora’s mission to blog daily, and reinvent her relationship with her blog. From her latest blog posts, it looks like it’s working!
  • Itty Bitty Kitty Committee: If you are ever feeling down, this blog is the place to go. I dare you to not feel happier after reading about these kittens.

I hope you have a wonderful, creative weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

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Less Mess! (WOYWW)

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More important than what is on my workdesk this week, is what isn’t on my workdesk this week. I finally went to Ikea on Saturday to pick up a matching bookcase to put next to my desk, and was able to stash the pile of art supplies and papers that was on my desk. I’m very excited that my desk is usable again, and as a bonus, it looks prettier too! Today I’m linking up to What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday at Stamping Ground .

I started a new printmaking class on Saturday. It’s a mixed class of Printmaking I and Printmaking II students. As one of the Printmaking II students, I have absolute freedom in the projects I work on for the quarter, and can make up my own assignments. I always thought that would be a blessing, but now I’m sitting here with empty sketchbook pages wondering what to do with myself. I think I need to come up with some limitations because the wide openness has so far resulted in not a lot of ideas.

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I live in a small apartment with my boyfriend, two dogs and a cat, so I feel very lucky to have this corner of the main living space to call my own. My desk is set up in the area that probably should hold a dining room table. It is right off of the kitchen, which is perfect for clean up and getting cups of tea. A TV tray and rolling cart expand my work area beyond the small desktop. The TV tray is good for holding cups of water and paint because it’s off to the side and doesn’t get in the way.

I always love peeks at artwork in studios, so I thought I’d share what’s up in mine right now. The TV tray is hand painted by my friend Carolyn O’Connor, who takes old furniture and gives it new life again with her brightly colored designs. The little bunting above my desk is by Robyn Wells. She has one of my favorite little eclectic shops on Etsy. The top print of the two on the wall is by Jessica Swift. The bottom print on the wall is Artist-in-Bloom Manifesto by Aimee at Artsyville. There is a tiny painting by Sherry Paylor on the right side of the top of my desk. I got it from an Art-o-Mat machine this weekend. You can get a better view of it on Instagram. And lastly, the painting to the right of the sewing machine is one of mine. It’s a study of a Richard Diebenkorn painting that I made in one of my painting classes. I have a ton of prints that are unframed, and now that I have all of the furniture situated, I’m looking forward to putting more artwork on the walls.

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This is how the space looks all closed up! Lately this has been a pretty infrequent occurrence, but now that my desk is clear I can close it up more easily. A more seasoned blogger probably would have swept up the dog hair before taking the picture, so please ignore that. This is real life. :) I hope you have a very creative and colorful Wednesday!

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